1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a roof construction for an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Automotive vehicles have a roof, movable or stationary, that extend rearward from a top of a front windshield so as to cover a roof space above a passenger compartment. There are too types of roof for automotive vehicles. One type of roof is a sunroof that opens and closes a rectangular opening formed in the roof of the automotive vehicle. Another type of movable roof is a convertible roof that is movable between a closed position where the convertible roof covers a roof space above a passenger compartment to a retracted or fully open position where the convertible roof retracts behind the passenger""s seat or within a trunk and fully uncover or open the roof space above the passenger compartment. One of the convertible type roofs that is known, for example, from Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications Nos. 5-213066 and 8-85344 comprises a plurality of roof panels into which the roof is divided in the longitudinal direction of the automotive vehicle. This convertible type roof is capable of shifting between three positions, namely a closed position where the convertible roof fully closes or covers the roof space above the passenger compartment, a partly open position where the convertible roof partly opens or uncovers the roof space above the passenger compartment, and a fully open position where the convertible roof fully opens or uncovers the roof space above the passenger compartment.
While the vehicle stops, the convertible roof safely shifts between the closed position and the retracted position without being affected by wind. It is desirable for the convertible roof to shift its operating position even while the vehicle is moving.
From the viewpoint of designing a vehicle body and improving a feeling of openness of the vehicle with the roof space fully uncovered, it is conceived desirable to position a top edge of a front windshield as low as possible. In this instance, in order to provide an assured head clearance between the convertible roof and the top of passenger""s head, the convertible roof at a part adjacent to the passenger""s head is hardly positioned too low. In the case of assuring a sufficient head clearance between the passenger""s head and the convertible roof in addition to positioning the top edge of a front windshield as low as possible, the convertible roof at its front portion continuous from the front windshield must extend upright or obliquely upward. However, the convertible roof having an upright or oblique front portion hinders passenger""s vision or makes a forward field of vision marrow.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a convertible roof construction for a vehicle body that selectively shifts its operating position between three positions, namely a closed position, a partly open position and a frilly open position, while the vehicle is moving.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a convertible roof construction for a vehicle body that provides a broad forward field of vision even though the convertible roof extends continuously from a top edge of a front windshield that is positioned as low as possible.
The foregoing objects of the present invention are accomplished by a roof construction for a convertible roof of a vehicle that variably covers and uncovers a roof space above a passenger compartment of a vehicle body.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the convertible roof comprises a roof assembly is movable relative to the vehicle body in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body from the front to the back so as to selectively shift its operating position between three positions, namely a closed position where the convertible roof covers the roof space above a passenger compartment of a vehicle body, a partly open position where the convertible roof partly uncovers the roof space and a fully open position where the convertible roof fully uncovers the roof space and a prop link means for shifting the roof assembly into a selected one of the three positions and fixedly supporting the roof assembly in the selected position.
The convertible roof of the present invention having the roof assembly that is always propped as it is shifted in operating position is shifted to any desired operating position even while the vehicle is moving.
The roof assembly may comprise a front roof panel positioned horizontally in the closed position, an intermediate roof panel positioned horizontally in the closed position, and a rear roof panel provided with a rear windshield therein. In this instance, each of the three roof panels is movable in the longitudinal direction and continuing into another roof panel adjacent to the each roof panel in the closed position so as to form a continuous smooth outer surface of the roof assembly. The front roof panel is moved rearward so as to be superposed on the intermediate roof panel in the partly open position. Further, the rear roof panel is laid down and stacked with the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel remaining superposed in the fully open position.
The roof assembly forms a smooth continuous outer surface while it is in the closed position, so as to provide an attractive exterior appearance of the vehicle body. While the roof assembly is in the partly open position, the occupant is provided with a feeling of openness and, in addition, the front roof panel is superposed on and stably supported by the intermediate roof panel. Further, in the fully open position, the rear roof panel is stacked with the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel remaining superposed, so that the storage space for the roof assembly can be compact. In addition, in the fully open position, the rear roof panel is inclined with an inner surface facing upward and the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel remaining superposed are put approximately horizontally. In this instance, the rear roof panel provided with a rear windshield is often formed to have an interior surface concave to the passenger compartment. In consequence, the rear roof panel in the fully open position is stacked with the front and intermediate roof panels remaining superposed without mechanically interfering with each other and all the three roof panels can be superposed closely one on top of another.
The vehicle body has a storage space for receiving the rear roof panel stacked with the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel between a rearmost seat and a trunk compartment. When the roof assembly is in the fully open position, the rear roof panel is laid so as to put a rear end thereof approximately even with a front end of a rear body portion, such as a trunk lid, of the vehicle body and a front end thereof spatially below the rear end of the rear body portion. Further, the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel remaining superposed may be laid approximately horizontally and even with the front end of the trunk lid.
The rear roof panel thus inclined forward down in the fully closed position is advantageous to making the lengthwise distance of the storage space for the roof assembly short and eliminating a difference in height between the rear roof panel and the trunk lid so as thereby to uncover almost the entire area of the trunk compartment. This is desirable for the roof assembly to be brought into the fully closed position with leaving the rearmost seat in its uprise position. In addition, this is desirable for an attractive appearance of the vehicle body while the roof assembly is in the fully open position.
The roof assembly may be shifted into any one of the three positions even while the vehicle is moving. Further, each of the front and intermediate roof panels may be shifted in position remaining approximately horizontal so as to make a down wind loading that the roof panels receive on a shift in position even during moving as small as possible. This makes it easy to shift the roof assembly among the three positions even while the vehicle is moving.
The roof assembly may be held in the closed position by propping a part of the roof assembly against a stationary part of the vehicle body. This realizes firm support of the roof assembly in the closed position.
The roof assembly may be further supported by a front windshield and a side door windshield drawn up from a side door while it is in the closed position. This also realizes firm support of the roof assembly in the closed position.
The convertible roof may further comprise detecting means for detecting a passenger who is getting on and off the vehicle and control means for automatically causing the prop link mechanism to shift the roof assembly into the partly open position when the detecting means detects the passenger. This is advantageous to providing a spacious entrance space for a passenger getting on or off the vehicle even when the vehicle body is low in vehicle height.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the roof assembly has a roof opening formed in a front end portion of the roof assembly, e.g. a front roof panel in the case where the roof assembly comprises front, intermediate and rear roof panels, that extends upward continuously from a top edge of a front windshield of the vehicle and a transparent pane installed in the roof opening. The roof assembly may further comprise a light shielding plate movable between at least a covering position where the light shielding plate covers fully the transparent pane and an uncovering position where the light shielding plate uncovers fully the transparent pane. The roof opening in the front portion of the roof assembly is located higher in vertical position than the top edge of the front windshield and is formed at an intermediate part of the roof assembly in a transverse direction of the vehicle body, preferably, before a head of a passenger sitting on a foremost seat. At least a part of the roof assembly, e.g. a front roof panel, may be movable relatively to the vehicle body in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body from the front to the back so as to partly open the roof space.
The roof assembly thus constructed is desirable for a passenger in the vehicle to gain assured provides forward vision, in particular high forward vision, through the roof opening even though the front windshield at its top edge is lower in vertical position. Further, the roof assembly is desirable in order to provide a passenger in the vehicle with a feeling of release and to introduce wind into the passenger compartment during moving. In addition, the light shielding plate is operative as a sunshade. The transparent pane may be comprise a wide-angle lens in order to provide a wide forward field of vision.